Rake's Reward
REFORMING A RAKE…Desperate to support her widowed mother, Marina Beaumont had agreed to become a companion to a dowager countess and found herself in an impossible situation. She had never anticipated the position would force her to deal with Kit Stratton–a renowned rake who would stop at nothing to get the revenge he sought…even if it cost Marina all that she held most dear.For unable to restrain the dowager's gambling habit, Marina soon found herself paying the price for Kit's sweet revenge on the widow. And the only way this rake would agree to her request to forfeit the money he was owed was if Marina gave him the reward he most desired….
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“You are, without doubt, the most exasperating woman I have ever met.”
And then Kit kissed her. It was a kiss of anger. Marina knew it was intended to show her that she could not stand against him.
She knew it. And yet she wanted to yield to him. The touch of his lips renewed the encounters of her dreams, when he had come to her in love and gentleness. Her body yearned for him. In spite of everything.
She was a fool!
“No!” she cried, pushing him away with all her strength as he raised his hand to her hair. “No! I will not be a pawn in your games, Mr. Stratton! Even a plain companion has a conscience, sir, and I intend to obey mine. Good day to you.”
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter One
‘I have been waiting too many years for this, Hugo. Nothing you can say will make one whit of difference.’ Kit Stratton spoke with quiet certainty, smiling calmly across at his elder brother as if they were discussing the turn of a cravat, or a new blend of snuff. He lounged back in his chair, with one immaculately booted leg thrown carelessly over the arm, and watched his brother. It might have been Kit, rather than Hugo, who was the owner of this comfortable, book-lined study.
Sir Hugo Stratton ceased his angry pacing and stood looking down at his brother in obvious exasperation. ‘For God’s sake, Kit, you must be out of your mind,’ Hugo said bitterly. ‘Stratton Magna has been in the family for generations, yet you would risk losing it to that old harridan on the turn of a card. You cannot intend to go on with this senseless charade. Besides, it all happened years ago. Cannot you let it lie?’
‘No.’ Kit shook his head decisively. ‘You forget what she did to me…to us. She acted out of pure malice, Hugo, and I swore then that I would have my revenge on her one day. I mean to do it now.’
‘And it matters nothing to you that you could lose the family estate in the process? By God, I wish—’
‘You wish, now, that you hadn’t persuaded John to leave it to me in the first place, don’t you, Hugo?’
Hugo coloured a little. ‘John will be turning in his grave,’ he said. He sounded very near to losing his temper. ‘And I…’ He gave a snort of disgust. ‘What a fool I was. I was the one who persuaded John to leave Stratton Magna to you, instead of to me. I was the one who said that you needed land of your own in England, so that you would stop playing the rake in Vienna. I was the one who thought you would—’
‘Settle down and raise a brood of hopeful children?’ finished Kit sardonically, rising to refill his glass. ‘Never. Unlike you, I have no turn for the infantry, so I am more than content to leave the getting of Stratton heirs to you. You know very well that I have no intention of being caught in parson’s mousetrap. Much too close for comfort with Emma. If she hadn’t chosen you instead…’ He allowed himself a wry smile. He had been the brother who compromised the heiress, but Hugo had been the brother who married her—for Hugo was the brother she loved. Hugo and Emma had been married for five years now, their happiness shadowed only by the deaths of Emma’s father and of John, the eldest Stratton brother. Now Hugo was the head of the Stratton family, a baronet, and enormously wealthy. He had no need of the family estate at Stratton Magna.
Unlike Kit.
‘Believe me, I do appreciate your generosity,’ Kit continued, smiling still. He was determined to retain the upper hand in this encounter. ‘I can guess what you were thinking, you and John, when you decided to leave Stratton Magna to me. But, as the oldest surviving brother, you should have inherited the family estate, not I. If I had known what you were planning to do, I might have warned you of the risks you were running.’
‘Might you?’ said Hugo with biting sarcasm. ‘If I’d known what you were planning to do, I might have held my tongue. As it is—’
‘As it is, Stratton Magna is mine now and I can have my revenge on Lady Luce without breaking my word to you. I swore to you, then, that I would never gamble for more than I could afford to lose. Until I inherited the estate, I was in no position to come back to England and face her. Now, I can,’ Kit finished simply.
‘You could have come back for good when John died,’ Hugo said pointedly.
Kit sank back into his chair. It was now well over a year since John and his wife had died in that terrible carriage accident. The family had expected Kit to remain in England after the funeral, but he had not been prepared to oblige them. ‘I had…other things on my mind,’ Kit said, staring down into his wine. ‘Distractions, you might say, one of whom is now in London.’ He looked up at his brother. He could see that Hugo’s anger was waning now. ‘You may be sure that I learned my lesson well over Emma. Resolved then to devote all my attentions to ladies of…er…experience who would pose no threat to my single state.’
